High School Rewind: Playoff spots still up for grabs headed to Week 11
The playoff picture became somewhat clearer following Friday’s action in the Midlands.
But there are several things yet to be determined as we enter the final full week of the regular season.
Here is a region-by-region look for Midlands teams:
Region 4-4A: Dutch Fork can clinch the region with a win at Lugoff-Elgin. Westwood would get the region’s second spot with a win against Spring Valley. The Vikings can still finish second with a win over Westwood on Friday and win against Blythewood on Nov. 13.
Ridge View and Blythewood, which play each other this week, also are in the mix for the final automatic playoff spot and possible at-large spots.
Region: 5-4A: Lexington is the region champ, but the two other automatic playoff spots are yet to be determined. River Bluff, White Knoll and Irmo all are 2-2 in the region. River Bluff hosts Irmo, while White Knoll hosts Lexington. North Augusta and South Aiken are 1-3, but there is a chance three teams can finish at 2-3.
Region 4-3A: Chapin is the region champion, but the other three playoff spots are up for grabs. Richland Northeast has clinched a playoff berth, but can finish from second through fourth. A.C. Flora and Dreher are tied for third, but the Falcons hold the tiebreaker because of Friday’s win over the Devils. Camden can still get in with a win over Lower Richland and some help
Region 5-3A: Airport wrapped up the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game Nov. 13. Brookland-Cayce will get an at-large spot and travel to the Region 8-3A champion in the first round of the playoffs.
Region 2-2A: Batesburg-Leesville finished fourth in the region and likely will open the Class 2A Division II playoffs on the road at Central.
Region 3-2A: Fairfield Central, Newberry and Mid-Carolina all have earned playoff spots. The winner of Friday’s Keenan and Eau Claire game will make the postseason. The Raiders will finish third in the region with a victory.
Unbeaten Kimreys
The father-son coaching duo of Bill and Erik Kimrey might have made history Friday night by leading their teams to unbeaten regular seasons.
Bill Kimrey, who coached at Dutch Fork from 1992-2009, led Calhoun County to a 10-0 mark after the 57-42 win over Williston-Elko. It was W-E’s first region loss since 2007.
Kimrey’s son, Erik, led Hammond to a 9-0 regular-season finish with a 38-0 victory over Heathwood Hall. It was the Skyhawks’ 22nd straight victory and fourth straight shutout.
SCISA playoffs set
First round matchups for the SCISA Class 3A playoffs are set.
Top-seeded Hammond will host Heathwood Hall in the first round. It will be the second straight week the two teams square off. Seventh-seeded Ben Lippen is at Wilson Hall, sixth-seeded Cardinal Newman is at Pinewood Prep and fourth-seeded Porter-Gaud hosts Laurence Manning.
Region dominance
After an opening loss to Brookland-Cayce, Fairfield Central finished the season with nine straight wins and won its fourth region title in a row.
The Griffins have won 24 straight region games, with their last loss coming in 2011 when they were in Class 3A. Fairfield will likely be the No. 2 seed behind Strom Thurmond in the Class 2A Division I upper state playoffs when they begin Nov. 13.
Resting up
With the flooding pushing back the start of the postseason a week, some Midlands teams will be getting the week off before starting the playoffs Nov. 13.
Teams with a week off next week include Airport, Brookland-Cayce, Newberry, Fairfield Central and Batesburg-Leesville.
Top performers
Chance Walker and Quaveon Cannon (Swansea) – Duo combined for 654 yards rushing and six touchdowns in 49-40 win over Gilbert.
Cole Douglas (Dutch Fork) – Accounted for 299 yards
Clarence Watson (A.C. Flora) – Had more than 200 all-purpose yards, including 94-yard game-winning kickoff return in win over Dreher.
Osei Thomas (Blythewood) – Rushed for 245 yards and three TDs in win over Lugoff-Elgin.
Logan Bailey (Chapin) – Had 342 total yards and accounted for six touchdowns in region-clinching win over Camden. Senior has 48 total TDs this season.
Ones to watch
Some up of the top games in the Midlands for Week 11:
Blythewood at Ridge View – Bengals got back on track with blowout win. Blazers have been alternating wins and losses.
Eau Claire at Keenan – Winner goes to the playoffs and loser misses out.
Irmo at River Bluff – Winner of game has good chance to finish second in Region 4-4A.
Lexington at White Knoll – Wildcats looking for 10th straight win. Timberwolves have eyes set on region’s second or third seed.
Richland Northeast at Dreher – RNE locks up second place and a home first-round playoff game with a win.
Spring Valley at Westwood – Westwood wraps up second place in region with win. Vikings need a win in final two weeks to secure second.
This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 7:07 PM with the headline "High School Rewind: Playoff spots still up for grabs headed to Week 11."